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Social Forces

journal article

The Rationality of Drawing Big Conclusions Based on Small Samples: In Defense of Mill's Methods

Social Forces

Published By: Oxford University Press

Social Forces

https://doi.org/10.2307/2580299

https://www. jstor .org/stable/2580299

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Abstract

Skocpol endorses the application of Mill's methods of causal inference for comparative historical explanations. According to Lieberson (1991), in studies where the sample size is very small, Mill's methods are inappropriate because they: (1) do not allow for probabilistic theories; (2) cannot handle interaction effects; (3) cannot accommodate multiple causes; (4) require the absence of measurement errors. Each of these claims turn out to be incorrect due to confusion over the uses of Mill's methods, failure to appreciate the aims of case-oriented explanations, and a narrow conception of cause. Small sample size does not constitute an obstacle to the application of Mill's methods.

Journal Information

Social Forces is a journal of social research highlighting sociological inquiry but also exploring realms shared with social psychology, anthropology, political science, history, and economics. The journal's intended academic readers include sociologists, social psychologists, criminologists, economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and students of urban studies, race/ethnic relations, and religious studies.

Publisher Information

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals.